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Friday, February 6, 2015

I just want to point out before I start that if you like any of these things, that's totally up to you. I'm sure there are a bunch of things that I like that you don't. My opinion shouldn't change yours and at the same time, please don't try to change mine. Also, I'm labeling this as a rant in case I end up getting a little ranty. I won't be flat out bashing the things I don't like but the tone won't be the nicest either.

ARCs aren't "free."It's actually kind of annoying how this has to be the first one on the list. I didn't even realize that this was my unpopular opinion. I've seen on a bunch of sites that people see ARCs as free books. I know that everyone's entitled to their own opinions, like I've already said, but this is one that I always have a hard time accepting. I don't believe that ARCs are free.I think that the commitment to read them and review them is what we're "paying" to get them. People who advertise ARCs as "free" are pretty much making ARCs looking like a fun way to save money. And that isn't what it is.

I am allowed to mark a book down for unexplainable reasons.Sometimes, I find myself reading something and finishing it with a rating already in my mind. I'll be like "huh, I like this book. Two stars." And you might be going, "wait, Nova! Isn't a book that you like, three stars?" Well, that's the fun part about my reviewing system. It isn't set in stone. I don't mark books down because of dumb things, like what ethnicity the authors/characters are [excuse you, that's racism] or what they look like [that's prejudice.] But sometimes, I'll feel it in my bones that I want to give it a two star rating instead of a three without a solid reason. And with the kind of person I am, I trust my gut more than I trust reason, anyway.

I don't like Lana Del Rey.Oh, what? You thought this was all going to be bookish. Sorry, sir, you are mistaken. And I know, you're probably hating me as I type. So many people get upset over this, which is kind of annoying. I don't like their "queen" as they put it. Fine with me. I just feel like her music makes me feel... dead inside. The only song that I enjoyed was "I Can Fly" and that's one of her lighter songs. The whole "dark" thing doesn't work for me. It's like listening to screamo.

"You can't have too much of a good thing." Um, yes, you can.And a lot of people agree with this yet they're the ones trying to do it, which irritates me. I don't care how good a show/book series is. It gets old at a certain point. You can throw in plot twists, add new villains but the jokes and the overall idea is still the same. For example, the whole Cassandra Clare thing is giving me a heavy dilemma. I don't like the idea of her making 18 books on Shadowhunters, but I'm probably going to end up giving her my money, anyway. On the other hand, after the fifth season of The Vampire Diaries, I was prepared to call it quits [also because my favorite character died.]

I don't do non-canon ships 99% of the time.Most of the time, I have complete faith in the writer that the canon ship will work out the best. The whole non-canon thing doesn't usually agree with me because I'm like "NO DUDE. THESE TWO BELONG WITH EACH OTHER. THE WRITER SAID SO!" I do like reading non canon fanfiction because some of it is so imaginative, but I don't think I've ever really shipped non-canon on my own [without someone's pushing]

Reverse racism doesn't exist, it's just racism.The idea of reverse racism is specifically racism to people of Caucasian descent. I've heard a lot of people say "racism to whites doesn't exist because they're the ones who are in power!" Forgive me if I'm ignorant but if you're saying that they can't experience racism because they're in a position of power, aren't you just giving them that power? [Taken from Dictionary.com]Racism: hatredorintoleranceofanotherraceorotherraces. That's why the idea of "you can't be racist to whites" never made sense to me because in this straightforward definition, there's nothing conditional about it. If you put someone who's Caucasian in a foreign location, they could experience racism like everyone else. Maybe there's something I'm missing but since when did racism become conditional?

I overreact and I don't care.Too often, I find myself on a website where I see something that's written ignorantly. Just a few days ago, I found a blogger who posted about the first one. It sent me on a mini rage where I proceeded to unfollow them. Plus, said person had a post on how someone should run their blog [and unlike my "Mandatory Rules On...", theirs was serious!]A lot of people tell me that I overreact and not in a good way. I will bitch and I will moan. I don't typically do it publicly, though. However, it's in my nature and while I do overreact, my reactions never go past thoughts. I don't ever take it out physically or verbally, which I guess is what saves me.

I hate reading hyped books.Sometimes I cave in and read them, but 9/10 times I won't read hyped books. That's why I haven't read TFioS, the Shatter Me Trilogy, Miss Peregrine or If I Stay. I just don't want to end up being let down. Also, I like supporting the authors who don't get as much attention [yet!] That was me with Veronica Roth, to be honest, though she was quite hyped [I wasn't part of the blogging community yet.]

Yes, I know that some of these might not be as "unpopular" as I think they are, but it's my own experiences. I just included things that I've either a) gotten backlash [for my opinion] for or b) everyone else says oppositely [*cough* Lana Del Rey]

Do you agree with any of these? Or is my unpopular opinion really unpopular. It's fine to disagree! I used to do these posts all the time on another platform, so I was interested in seeing how they'd do on my blog.

14 comments:

NO NO NO YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR MIND YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE OPINIONS NO NO NO. *dies giggling* XDXDI'm juuuuust teasing you, Nova. This is hilarious and GOOD ON YOU for having definite opinions even if you know they're not always popular. I'm agreeing with you on quite a lot of these. And just on the ARC front, ARCs are also (I think I read) twice as expensive for publishers to come out with! So, yus, definitely free. And we don't really get them "for free" unless we've won them with no obligation to review, right? So yes. I think you're spot on there.I kind of disagree with #4 but who cares?! We can ALL have opinions! HUZZAH!And I don't get non-cannon ships either. Well. I don't think I have any??? I had someone get after me on pinterest on one of my fan boards for not shipping someone and...that's ludicrous. I enjoyed your rant. ;-) Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!

I TOTALLY AGREE that ARCs aren't free. They come with a commitment to read them! And I also think you should rate a book however you feel you should rate it - sometimes I just get that FEELING that I shouldn't rate a book four stars, and I feel it was mainly a 3-star book. So yeah, I totally get that :) Reading hyped books is SCARY FOR ME. But I do it more often than not (mostly because I'm a curious cat). But it's a bit frightening because you want it to be awesome, but there's usually just a fifty-fifty shot of liking it. I feel like I usually love it or hate it. Also, Lana Del Rey is... 'ok' in my opinion. I have a few songs I like - "Off to the Races" is a pretty upbeat song compared to other stuff I've heard from her - but yeah, a lot of it is dark and not my style. I like upbeat stuff that makes me happy ^^Ugh and yes Vampire Diaries is kind of getting on my nerves - I just want DELENA 4EVER. (Because I do canon ships mostly, too, ha!)

For ARCs, I don't know, I feel that in a sense, they are free. The monetary sense, that is. My time and commitment don't feel like much to me, because I care about the money. :/ To me, in a sense, I'm paying for it the easy way.

My ratings are all on instinct too! Especially later on, I end up changing reviews because I feel like it wasn't that good after reading it.

And Lana del Rey! Wow, that bit was unexpected. :D I love her because of her dark and moody tone, and I can see why some people don't like that. And please, Cassandra Clare, go do something beside Shadowhunters already!

Sorry, can't agree with #6 at all. Being racist against white people just isn't a thing. Do check out this video of comedian Aahmer Rahman explaining succintly and beautifully why it isn't a thing. You can be prejudiced against white people, sure. I'm not denying that. But you can't be racist towards them. Because in modern day discussions of racism, we tend to hold the view that racism is prejudice + power, because power leads to institutionalised, systemic oppression. Calling being prejudiced against white people 'racism' just feels really, really demeaning to people who actually experience the effects of racism.

Here is a great post also on why reverse racism still doesn't really exist in countries with non-white majorities. If you're interested, here's a whole masterpost with lots of posts including those two things I linked you to explaining why racism against white people just isn't a thing.

Sorry, this is a topic I'm really passionate about and I try my best to give other people the opportunity to read up on it instead of jumping on them if I can! :) It's your opinion, at the end of the day, but I just hope that reading more about it will help you. :)

I do agree on most of your other points, though! :D (Except for Lana Del Rey, because I love her. But I don't care if other people hate her. I'm used to it. We all have different tastes. I can't stand the music my boyfriend listens to and he tried to read a book I absolutely love yesterday and he hated it within the first few pages, so like?? WHO CARES. People just like different things. I'm long over it. I don't get people who just can't accept that people don't like what they like.)

I completely agree on point #2. My own ratings feel a bit arbitrary and mysterious to me sometimes but I just go with my instinct. Sometimes I end up a little bit confused by my own ratings ages after the fact though, haha. And yes, you can definitely have too much of a good thing. I actually got bored of the Shadowhunters books after book four of the Mortal Instruments, I think? It just didn't seem as good as the first three, so I've given up on them now.

I do read hyped books but I'm always worried about reading them in case I don't like them.

I do agree with Shannelle above that ARCs are free in a sense: because the money is part of what matters to me as well. I'm an unemployed student paying an extortionate amount of tuition fees and I don't really have that much money to spare. The fact that I can read books I love legally without paying for them really matters to me. Sure, they cost time and effort, but since I love reading and blogging anyway, that's way, way more affordable than money to me.

I don't tend to ship non-canon ships most of the time these days (though I did ship many non-canon ships back in my days of Harry Potter fandom). But I'm bi and I crave LGBTQ representation so sometimes I resort to shipping non-canon m/m and f/f ships if the books can't provide those for me (which is why I'm always glad to see authors include LGBTQ characters and m/m and f/f ships even if it's only a very minor character or ship!).

ARCs are definitely not free. They're distributed because the publisher believes that the author will read and review them. I dislike seeing bloggers like "I refused to be part of a publisher's marketing plan! This is my hobby," but in accepting ARCs, they are becoming part of the plan anyways. That's just my two cents. :-)

I also mark down books for inexplicable reasons. Sometimes read books that have all the makings of an awesome book but just don't...feel right. Meh. Thanks for all of these! Great post. <3

Book bloggers definitely should not say that ARCs are free, because they are most certainly not. I actually think it's wrong for a book blogger to request a ton of ARCs because they don't have to shovel up any money for them, and then not review any of them. Sure, maybe some ARCs might slip by by accident every once in a while, and unsolicited ARCs aren't an obligation, but for the most part, bloggers must review ARCs.

There are a lot of popular books that I don't like or have an interest in reading, either. I hate when people tell me that I'm not reading a popular book just because it's popular, which is not true. I won't read a book unless the blurb interests me. While I might not have read books like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and the Divergent trilogy, I still have read some popular books such as The Lunar Chronicles. It all depends on the type of book.

I 100% agree about the ARC thing! Also: how can ARCs be "free" when it takes a decent-sized blog to even have publishers consider giving them? Like, if you have 25 followers on Twitter and only ~50 across all social media, a pub is NOT going to send you an ARC. You're going to have to 1) find it elsewhere (friend, giveaway, what have you), or b) wait for the book to come out and buy it like EVERYONE ELSE. So, now, ARCs aren't free. They're time, they're effort, and they're dedication. I know a LOT of book bloggers who get ARCs daily and only read about 20% of the ones they receive.

I also agree you can mark a book with whatever you want. I just finished I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and rated it 4 stars despite absolutely loving the last 50% of it. Books I love usually end up in the 5 star category, but this one just didn't *feel* like a 5 star book to me. So while I marked it as a fave I didn't give it 5 stars. Just because. And I can! Your ratings are entirely up to you and honestly, I don't think you have to answer for them. Ever.

Haha I adore Lana Del Rey (I'm seeing her in May), but I'm also a huge fan of the darker tone in her music. I really love the haunted sound and how her voice is very old-time, so yeah, I love her. Plus her look is very different from your run of the mill pop star. I definitely understand how/why people don't like her though. Her music is very different and can be hard to get into! I didn't like her at first but she definitely grew on me.

Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the racism thing. It's a touchy subject for a lot of people. But I also feel that you can't be racist to Caucasians because white people do hold a LOT of power and privilege, and racism tends to be geared towards those enduring oppression and a lack of power. But again -- it's a touchy subject for many, and the person a few comments above me explained it much better than I. :P

I don't like reading hyped books either! I waited months to read the Raven Cycle (after the 3rd book was released) because I was afraid of being let down, and also because Stiefvater's previous books had never REALLY impressed me (except Shiver, which I still remember vividly even though I read it like 5 years ago). I absolutely adored the books and they're among my favorite series now, but had I read them during the hype train I may have not felt that way at all.

This was a great post, and I'm glad that you posted it. :P It's definitely your blog and your space, so post as you please, even if people don't always agree with you and you don't always agree with them.

Judging from the financial side, ARCs are free. But I completely agree that the time we spend on reading and reviewing the book is not free at all. Nothing is truly free in this world. I never think much about ARCs anymore, I don't think it's such a big deal. To be honest, I find it much more comfortable reading the books I buy on my own or the ones borrowed from friends. I can just pick which one I want to read first and I won't feel pressured at all.

Haha, I'm not a fan of Lana Del Rey as well though I don't dislike her. Though that's because I've only listened to one or two of her songs and I wasn't really addicted to them(?)

OMG I'M THE OPPOSITE OF YOU. A lot of times I end up shipping non-canon couples or when it comes to love triangles, somehow I'm ALWAYS rooting for the losing guy...

1. Yesss to this. ALL THE YES. I get really antsy and eye twitchy when I see people talking about the perks of blogging or whatever and they say: free books! ARCs/review copies are NOT free. We have to spend the hours reading them, and then the time writing up the review – and also formatting the review – and then the content gets pride of place on our blog for about 24 hours (depending on how often you post, could be more or less). None of that is free. All of that takes A LOT of time and effort, and so it should. A lot of time and effort went into the book, as well.

2. Sometimes it’s hard for me to pinpoint a reason why a book is four stars and not five, even though I loved everything about it and there is not one mediocre or negative comment in my review. And I guess it’s because my five stars are precious. But it happens at other times, too. Feelings are hard to define, and if you’re a mood reader, those feelings are going to dictate what you thought about the book. I am a slave to my feelings. I admit it.

3. I’ve never been a big fan of Lana Del Rey. There are a few songs of hers that I do like, and listen to. But overall? I don’t see the reason for all the love.

4. HAHA. Yes to this. I am pretty >.> about the whole Cassandra Clare writing 12359364 books in the same universe. I get that it’s her decision, and they’re going to sell. But flavour? Originality? I fear that they are all just going to be regurgitations of the same old, same old. And Vampire Diaries. I loved it. To a point, and then I could no longer. I just could. Not. Any. Longer.

5. Oh you live the sweet life. I ship non-canon ships 99% of the time, and my life is full of pain and longing because of it.

6. Racism is racism is racism. It’s definitely not reverse, because it can happen to anyone, anytime.

7. I can get pretty reacty sometimes, especially if it’s about something important to me. Like you, though, I usually keep it on the inside with respect to the person that has caused the reaction and then bitch and moan about it to my mum, haha XD

8. I don’t HATE reading hyped books, but I am always apprehensive about it because 99% of the time, I don’t love it as much as everyone else does. And it’s always so awkward being that black sheep in the blogging community >.<

1. Agreed! And seeing ARC's are even more expensive to produce than the final copy, I would say there is nothing free about it. You don't pay in money, but you do pay in time (something I do with love though! :D)2. I have the same thing. Sometimes there is just SOMETHING about the book that doesn't work for me and I can't point out what it was.. So while I liked it, I still can't give it more than 2 stars.

1. You can view ARCs as "free"... but if you never review them, and basically just collect them, the publishers probably won't give you any more. Then you'll be back to buying your books, just like the rest of us.

2. I don't really do this, as I have a pretty set system for determining my star ratings... though the "enjoyment" factor can be pretty arbitrary.

3. I don't even know who that is...

4. Oh, gosh, yes. I'm feeling that with Once Upon A Time. I mean, are they going for a record of how many Disney classics they can ruin? I guess once it crosses into "too much" territory, it kind of stops being a "good thing".

5. I don't read fan-fiction, so... not really applicable to me. (I usually want the heroine to choose the "other" guy in love triangles, though. Does that count?)

6. That there's no such thing as racism against whites has always struck me as a silly argument. Of course whites can be victims of racism (or at least racist comments). Any group can.

7. Who doesn't?

8. I haven't had much luck with over-hyped books, either. I really enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but I don't think I'd call it over-hyped (at least, it wasn't back when I read it). I pretty much hated The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay, though. I did a post about not liking the popular books not long ago.

1. I agree with you. ARCs are not free. Maybe in the monetary sense for the reciever it is, but for the publisher it definitely is not. Also emotionally and mentally it is NOT free. ARCs weigh me down so much, they cause lots of stress and panic as I frantically try to read and review them all.

2 Same! I don't have a specific scale or complicated equation, it's what FEELS right. And no one is going to tell me that's wrong.

3. I personally love Lana but that's just me ;)

4. In my opinion you can have too much of a good thing. See all these books surrounding me *points, points, points all over* Bwhaha

I agree with a few of these. of these and the first two are complete facts. :) Rating's such a fickle thing. I love Lana Del Rey though!

I'm not fond of non-canon ships either, luckily for me, usually there's no competition/anyone I would want the couple to be with.

I honestly don't know about the racism one, I feel like I'd have to go back to my sociology class and find out for sure. I'd try thinking about it, but I feel it would give me a headache trying to understand it all. But I think that any person who doesn't like a group of people because of what their race is, despite whatever "power" they have or don't have over that person, is racist.

I totally over-react. Though occasionally that is verbally, depending on what it involves, unfortunately. I like reading hyped books! Though sometimes they scare me.

I'm pretty sure you're the first person ever to say they don't like Lana Del Rey. Apart from me, of course. HIGH FIVE. I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE. No, seriously, everyone seems to love her, and I'm just like.. meh? I like one song, Young & Beautiful. As for the rest. I just.. really don't get the hype.

And I agree with the ARCs thing. Yes, you get them for free, but you're expected to put time and effort into reading and reviewing it. So you pay with time, in a way.

Share your thoughts! I'm always looking for insight from other readers because hey - your opinion matters! Also, if no one's told you yet, I just want to say that I love your smile and that you should grace all of us with it.

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About Me

nova lee zaiden has spent five years in prison for hacking the pentagon. she's discovered top government secrets and the knowledge could kill her. after escaping, she now hides undercover at local high school in hopes of survival.
if all goes well, she leaves unscathed. if not, she and the cute boy in her math class will have to go on the run. it doesn't help that said boy is the son of the man who wants her dead. they'll have to fight against all odds to expose shocking secrets while resisting their own fatal attraction...
however, since nothing like that has happened yet, you can find nova in her room reading YA books, drinking tea and writing about her fangirl feels.